


A Little Help From Our Friends

by Erin_C



Category: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Genre: F/M, Humor, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-18
Updated: 2010-11-18
Packaged: 2017-10-13 06:48:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/134208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erin_C/pseuds/Erin_C
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yoko and Viral inadvertently look for quiet time in the same place. They find something else instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Help From Our Friends

In the aftermath of Team Gurren's assault on the moon, the government building was in an uproar. Besides its usual inhabitants, the residential area had temporarily taken on humans and beastmen who had lost their homes in the Anti-Spiral attacks, and they were constantly, if innocently, getting underfoot during preparations for the assault on the Anti-Spiral homeworld. To make matters worse, all the extra laundry had crushed the fighting spirit of the largest and oldest of the compound's washing machines, which took out three of its compatriots in the ensuing explosion and flooded most of two floors. Now everyone was doubling and tripling up in the rooms that weren't waterlogged, and nobody was in any kind of a good mood -- least of all Yoko, who pushed through the throng in a vain search for Kiyal after Kinon had turned her down to bunk with Rossiu(!).

Things sure had changed in six years away from the rest of the team.

"Yoko -- Yoko!"

Yoko dodged a beastman who looked like the result of a horrible union between a wrestler and a porcupine and spun around to see Simon racing toward her down the hall.

"I'm so glad I found one of you guys," Simon panted, once he'd caught up to her. "There's trouble at one of the underground shelters -- the Anti-Spirals damaged the supports, and I've got to take Gurren. Try to keep everybody from killing each other, all right?"

"Sure, but -- "

Simon tossed her a set of keys, which Yoko snatched out of the air. "Let the crew know they can use my apartment if they need the space. See you!" And he was halfway down the hall, coat flapping behind him.

Yoko blinked after him, then at the keys in her hand, and a slow smile spread across her face. Nobody else would even think about invading the commander-in-chief's personal space. In this case, what the crew didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

\---------

Much later, when everyone was more or less tucked away in their new quarters, which had expanded to include two of the conference rooms, Yoko trudged back to Simon's apartment. Conditions warranted a change of sheets and the hasty removal of smelly laundry that had never made it down to the blast site -- God, men never got any less disgusting -- but soon Yoko slid under the covers, reveling in the silence, a world apart from the restless jostling and griping that filled so much of the rest of the compound.

Dreams haunted her sleep, sweet dreams of indigo tattoos that circled and flared across tanned muscle. She hung onto them so tightly that when the bed lurched and a muscular arm pulled her close, she only blinked muzzily, not certain it wasn't part of the dream. Then a hand began frantically patting her chest, and she felt... fingernails? Furious, she vaulted out of bed and fumbled for the switch on the bedside lamp, screaming, "SIMON!"

It wasn't Simon. On the other side of the bed, naked to the waist, stood Viral, Team Gurren's old nemesis and Simon's new co-pilot. He looked as surprised and angry as she felt -- but then, he usually looked angry.

"You're not Simon!" they both said at once, and to Yoko's surprise, Viral blushed visibly even in the low light.

"To have Lord Genome's daughter for his woman, and now you as well," the blond beastman muttered, looking at his feet. "Simon truly is a remarkable man."

"Whoa, wait!" Yoko waved her hands. "I'm not _with_ Simon, I'm just, um, borrowing his apartment. I figured you'd be with him in Gurren. Anyway, why are you -- "

They stared at each other, Yoko replaying the last few moments in her mind, and something clicked into place. Viral blushed even harder, if possible, and looked away, scowling. Yoko sat down on the bed and started to laugh, earning her an outraged expression involving teeth.

"Wow," she said, shaking her head. "I'm so out of the loop that I don't even notice when people get together right under my nose." And Viral and Simon, yet. It did explain a few things, like the afternoon when nobody could find either of them until she'd finally run into them in the mess hall, both looking disheveled and devouring sandwiches with manic glee. At the time Yoko had just figured they'd been fighting. Well, she supposed they might have been fighting, too.

"We're not _together_ ," Viral said, but underneath the contempt he looked so downcast that Yoko would have liked to pat him on the shoulder if she hadn't been pretty set on keeping that hand. Anyway, she'd learned in dealing with her students that there were other ways to help someone feel better.

She swiveled around and scooted forward on the bed so that her knees hung over the side closest to Viral. His glare lingered on her chest for a moment before snapping up to her face. Honestly, Yoko thought, even the gay guys couldn't keep their eyes where they belonged -- although admittedly, her nightshirt was pretty thin. Besides, she couldn't say she wasn't enjoying the view herself. The scars on Viral's chest and arms accentuated his thin, rangy physique as beautifully as Kamina's tattoos had decorated the sculpted muscles of his upper body. She felt a sudden pang, thinking of that boisterous, obnoxious, wonderful man.

"You know, I'm glad Simon's found someone like you," she said. "He doesn't talk about it, but what's happened to Nia has him pretty torn up. If he didn't have you in Gurren to keep him grounded, I don't know whether he'd have come back." _And that horrible "moon" would've taken us all out._

Viral shrugged. "He can pilot just fine from Lagann. More than fine." He grinned at that, fiercely and unexpectedly, before it slipped away. "I'm just -- "

"His friend?" Yoko said, smiling.

He looked down at her then, the ever-present anger so thoroughly wiped away by astonishment that Yoko had to swallow a giggle. But when he looked away, a smile was tugging at the corners of that fierce mouth.

Yoko nodded emphatically. "No matter what happens -- with Nia, the mission, the world -- don't worry about Simon letting you down. That's not the kind of guy he is."

"Hmph," Viral said, but he didn't look nearly as upset as he had a minute ago. "So where did Simon the Wonderful take my gunmen, anyhow?"

Yoko stifled a smile. _"My gunmen," huh?_ "One of the shelters took some damage in the attacks, and Simon had to head out there before the ceiling fell in. He probably just couldn't find you in all the commotion."

"Oh," he said, his shoulders sagging as the tension went out of them. "Well, if that's all." Yoko supposed he might well be just as happy to be left out of a mission that didn't involve combat. She stretched, knitting her fingers together above her head, and was both amused and annoyed to notice Viral's attention once again drift down toward her cleavage, then away with a scowl and a blush.

"Do you have anywhere else to be tonight?" she asked. "Otherwise you might as well stay here. I was sort of cheating by not doubling up."

"I'll stay. The only one with any space left was that mechanic." The last two words were spoken with the sort of emphasis usually reserved for particularly persistent vacuum cleaner salesmen.

"But I thought you liked that sort of thing," Yoko teased, and Viral blanched.

"Not with him!"

Leeron could be kind of overwhelming -- even more so today then usual, she recalled, and felt a little guilty that she hadn't asked him to room with her. Then again, maybe all those flowery, eyelash-batting invitations aimed at any male within firing range were part of _his_ wicked plan to keep a room all to himself. Well, at least she wasn't the only one cheating.

Viral sat down heavily on the bed next to her, and Yoko jumped. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Er, no, not at all!" She let out a nervous laugh. _When I said you could stay, I meant the couch!_ she wailed silently. On second thought, that was where she'd dumped Simon's dirty laundry. Rats. Well, it wasn't like she'd never shared a bedroll with a guy out in the field -- except that Viral's sidelong glance had settled on her breasts _yet again, dammit_ , and this time there was no accompanying scowl. In fact, something about the softness in his expression made her stomach flutter and her nipples tighten, which in turn made her feel very cranky indeed.

"Viral," she said, jumping up and folding her arms firmly across her chest., "if you're so crazy about Simon, then why do you keep staring at my boobs?"

He gaped at her, redness spreading across his pale cheeks. "Just because I -- Simon -- that doesn't mean I don't appreciate women!" he sputtered, and then looked sulkily at the floor. "Anyway, you reminded me of someone. That's all."

"Oh, so there are beastwomen with a figure like mine?" Something about his flustered grouchiness made teasing him irresistible.

He sighed and stared dreamily into space. "Oh yes. General Adiane was -- "

Now it was Yoko's turn to gape in horror. "That bitch?" Of course, _that bitch_ had been Viral's comrade-in-arms and superior officer. "Er, no offense."

"None taken." His wide mouth quirked up at the corners. "She was terrifying, but she did cut a fine figure on the battlefield."

Yoko smiled wryly. "And I suppose I ‘cut a fine figure on the battlefield,' too?"

"The finest," he said, looking at her almost fondly, but then ruined the effect entirely by adding, "for a naked monkey."

The sudden anger that burst inside Yoko was made worse by not knowing why she was so damn angry -- until Viral flashed her a wicked, toothy grin. She stared at him for a moment in astonishment, and then laughter began to bubble up in her chest. Apparently Viral could give as good as he got. She plunked herself down on the bed next to him, her giggles multiplying until she was gasping for air, and he was laughing too in a chuffing, awkward way that for some reason made her laugh even harder.

"You know," she said between gasps, "as much as I love my kids, it's nice to have some adult company for a change."

To her surprise, the beastman's laughter died away entirely. "You have kids?" he asked.

"They're not actually mine," Yoko said. "Well, they are, but they're not _mine_. I'm a schoolteacher." She didn't know how to interpret the look on Viral's face. If she had to venture a guess, she'd say it was almost... wistful. Well, given that Lord Genome created the beastmen to patrol the surface but never to breed, she supposed there wouldn't be any more beastchildren, if there ever had been in the first place. It did make her wonder. Did they pop out of vats full-grown? Someday she'd have to ask Viral, if she could find a way to put it that wouldn't get his back up.

"You know," she said, "I don't think my students have ever met a beastman before." She crossed her fingers behind her back. They'd gotten a pretty good look at the one who had helped attack their school, but that could hardly be called a meeting, and in any case Yoko was hoping for something a little less tense in the name of promoting interspecies peace. "It would be nice if sometime, when this is all over, you could drop by my school. You don't have to if you don't want to," she added hastily.

She half expected him to snarl, "I'm not for show-and-tell!" Instead, Viral's lips parted in a surprisingly sweet smile. It was sort of amazing, the range of expression that mouth was capable of. His jagged teeth should make every expression fearsome, but they didn't, and at the moment he was downright adorable. "I'd like that," he said, smiling down at her.

Yoko stretched up and kissed the shaggy-haired beastman on his unobscured cheek, making him jerk. "You know, Viral, despite all the trouble you caused us back in the day, you're a nice guy."

He was blushing again. "Likewise," he murmured. His clawed fingertips rose to touch his cheek, and after a moment of tight-lipped indecision, he bent to plant a slightly damp return kiss on her cheek. Laughing nervously, her skin hot, Yoko wondered if her face was as red as his. His arm suddenly seemed very warm, pressed against hers, and she bounced up, brushing imaginary lint off her nightshirt.

"Well, it's getting pretty late," Yoko said, faking a yawn. "If we don't turn in now we won't be in any condition to mop up the north wing tomorrow." She climbed into bed on the opposite side, flicking off the light as Viral eased himself under the covers, and tried very hard not to look at her sleeping companion.

Well, would-be sleeping companion. Even after half an hour had gone by -- she knew because the digital clock on the nightstand kept mocking her -- Yoko wasn't having any luck actually falling asleep. Her awareness of Viral on the other side of the bed did not help matters, and even though he kept well apart from her, she could feel it through Simon's stupid creaky mattress every time he shifted position or stretched or scritched his arm or --

"Are you still awake over there?" Viral asked softly, sounding not even a little bit sleepy.

Yoko sighed. "Yep, sure am." Yelling at him would not help matters either, she told herself. She squinched her eyes shut and curled up more tightly on one side.

A large, clawed hand settled on her shoulder. "Are you still in need of some, er" -- he cleared his throat -- "some adult company?"

That palm was so warm against her skin. Any second now she would start breathing again.

"Viral, are you propositioning me?"

"Heh. I suppose I am," he said, his voice wry. His hand left her, and the mattress squeaked as he sat up in bed.

"Hey, wait!" Yoko said, flicking on the bedside lamp and squinting in the dim light. "Where are you going?"

"I'll find someplace." He swung his legs over the side.

Were all men this boneheaded? She hit him lightly on the shoulder. "But you never even gave me a chance to say yes."

Viral looked at her over his shoulder, his expression almost fearful, but when he met her eyes his mouth relaxed into a wide, relieved smile. Yoko wrapped her arms around him from behind and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. "This won't cause trouble between you and Simon, will it?" she asked.

"No, I wouldn't think so," Viral said. Did he sound just a little bit sad? "No," he said more firmly, and inclined his head to catch the kiss she aimed upward at his mouth. It took a few more kisses to bring back his smile, but only a few, and soon he was swinging his clawed feet back onto the bed. Yoko reflected that at least she didn't need to worry about protection, and the thought quickly slipped away as he pulled her fully against him.

When Yoko had the presence of mind to think about anything at all, she reflected that Viral was a surprisingly good kisser given all those jagged teeth. He never so much as grazed her with them even as her mouth opened under his and his tongue traced her lower lip, making her squirm as he pressed her into the sheets. Things were getting more than a little damp, though, and Yoko breathlessly wiped the corner of her mouth as Viral left her lips to lick along her jawline and down to her neck.

On impulse, she reached down to tickle his ribs. He yelped and arched off her, affording her the perfect opportunity to flip him backward and pin him against the bed with her body. Pressing her breasts against his chest as he struggled beneath her, she captured his hips with her thighs -- an action that brought her flush against undeniable evidence that Viral was not simply passing time until Simon came back. As silly as it was under the circumstances, Yoko's cheeks went hot.

His green-gold eye alight, Viral grinned up at her and tipped her off into the sheets. Yoko shrieked as he rolled onto her and pinned her wrists, his hips settling between her thighs. The heavy fabric -- and the hardness beneath it -- rubbed her roughly through her thin panties, and she bit back a moan. He was still grinning as he moved against her, the bastard.

Yoko let her head and shoulders flop backward in mock fragility. "You'd use all that strength to capture a helpless human woman?"

Viral's hands spasmed in surprise, and she snaked one hand out of his grip to reach behind him and grab his butt. As he flailed, Yoko wrapped one leg around the back of his knees and wrestled her way to the top once again, her full weight behind the hands she pressed against his shoulders. Both of them were panting with more than exertion.

"It seems you're wilier than I thought," Viral said between gasps, with a pointy, exhilarated grin that maybe should have scared her but didn't. "Well, you won't hold this captive so easily!"

Smiling flirtaciously, Yoko sat back and let her hands trail down his chest. "What if the captive ends up convinced that he's in the right place after all?" She pressed her hips against his, rubbing slowly as he had done to her and turning his breaths into something drawn out and rough. "Sounds like you're pretty convinced," she purred, "but how about this?" As her hips continued to grind against him, she slid her thumb up over his right nipple and then dragged her thumbnail across it on the way back down. Viral let out a breathy moan.

"I want my hands on you, woman," he growled, reaching for the hem of her nightshirt. Yoko let him slide it upward over her breasts, and she pulled it the rest of the way over her head. Viral tugged the nightshirt free of her long ponytail and tossed it into the shadows, and then his hands really were on her. They felt better on her skin than probably any hands ever had -- and for a moment, all she felt was bittersweet regret for everything that Kamina hadn't had the chance to do to her. That just made her press Viral's hands more tightly against her breasts, though, because she was determined not to let that old, aching loss pull her out of the fun she was having right now.

She blinked in surprise at the sudden stiffness in Viral's fingers and in his face. "What's wrong?" she asked, hoping she hadn't ruined the mood.

"My claws," he said, eyeing his hands. "Just trying to be careful."

"Oh, is that all?" Yoko laughed and arched into his palms, still not letting go as her nipples hardened against them. "I doubt I'm that much more delicate than the beastwomen you've been with."

"Well..."

"Let's just see." Yoko released one of his hands in favor of the other and held it open, her thumbs braced against his forefinger. "What if you hold your hand like this..." she said, directing him so that the tip of his claw just barely grazed the upper curve of her breast. It wasn't really all that sharp, though she was sure his claws could do plenty of damage if he wanted, but the sensation sent delicious shivers spiraling through her as she dragged it down over her nipple, which went even stiffer under such direct stimulation. After that she lost her grip on his fingers, and it was by Viral's own power that he ran his claw over the curve of her abdomen and drew down the waistband of her panties. His knuckles brushed her pubic hair as she rose on her knees to allow him access, and when he palmed her sex she had to lean back on her hands so that she wouldn't fall clean over.

"You're really good at this," Yoko gasped as he stroked her with the flats of his fingers. She was rewarded with a rumbling laugh, and his hand left the dampness between her legs to knead one of her breasts, making her whine in frustration. Levering herself forward, Yoko struggled to pull her panties all the way down, a difficult business while kneeling on any surface, much less over a beastman on a broken-down mattress, but Viral was only too eager to help. She and Viral between them had almost succeeded in sliding the waistband down over one knee when Yoko lost her balance. She hit the mattress flailing, and there was a terrible ripping sound. She pushed herself back up to see Viral staring, wide-eyed, at the scrap of fabric he held in his large gray hand.

Yoko huffed and shook her head, but she couldn't hold back a smile. "Well, just as long as you don't complain if the same thing happens to yours," she said, and she grabbed for the waistband of his pants. She had to climb all the way off him to pull them down as he wriggled free, but except for getting hung up on a certain protrusion early on it was a much smoother operation than removing her panties had been. Yoko wasn't brave enough to do the deed herself, but his briefs followed his pants, revealing an impressive erection that nonetheless looked reassuringly human. Whatever Viral saw in her face he must've liked, because his grin hovered between pride and embarrassment as he sat up to press his mouth to hers.

Yoko's hands explored the muscles of Viral's back as he nipped at her mouth and traced a nipple with one claw, teasing her even more deliciously than when she was guiding his hand. He reached back behind her to grab her butt and pull her shrieking into his lap, claws like points of joy on her hypersensitive skin. Sighing against his mouth, she wrapped her legs around his waist. The action made her intimately aware of his erection, trapped and twitching against her stomach, and she reached down to get more closely acquainted. The sounds he made in the back of his throat made desire knot hard and tight between her legs.

"Hrrrrrrrrrr." Viral's hands, which had never left her butt, hitched her up high enough for him to _finally_ do something about that erection. Yoko could have cheered. Instead, she put her hands on his shoulders as he pressed against her entrance and let out a shaky breath as she sank down over him.

"See? Being my captive isn't so bad," Yoko gasped as she began to move.

"Who's the captive now, woman?" Viral growled, grabbing her tightly around the waist and burying his face in her neck. This time he did use his teeth, and she didn't even care -- after all, her hands were still free. She licked a finger and poked it into his ear.

He really did scream like a girl.

Who was whose captive got lost in the grappling that ensued, and soon grappling was lost in hot breath and mouth on mouth and hands splayed across slick skin. Yoko panted against Viral's shoulder and clawed at his back, not knowing who was thrusting against who, just that she wanted more of it. It wasn't long before Viral came, groaning... and Yoko groaned too, because she hadn't. She ground against him almost frantically, trying to reach her peak while he was still inside her. As it turned out, she didn't need to worry -- he gallantly reached down to give her a helping hand. She'd never been so grateful for chivalry.

A little while later they lay boneless and sweaty and sated against the pillows, Yoko's cheek against Viral's chest. It was still too hot for blankets or sheets, and she lazily traced the cross-shaped scar on his chest with one finger. Viral sighed happily.

"Say, Viral -- after all this business with the Anti-Spirals is over, do you think you'd ever consider being a teacher's aide?"

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the Gurren Lagann Kink Meme. Many thanks to thecert/certs_up for the beta!


End file.
